Harmonica megaphone



March 20, 1934. A. ELKINGTON HARMONICA MEGAPHONE Filed Sept. 6, 1933 a 2'. I g L11 0 c M 9 a 2%- ATTORN Y Patented Mar. 20, 1934 HARMONECA MEGAPHONE Leigh A. Elkington, New York, N. Y.

Application September 6, 1933, Serial No. 688,383

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a new article of manufacture which is designed and adapted for use in combination with a harmonica or other close- 1y analogous musical instrument for magnifying or amplifying the musical sounds issuing from the harmonica while it is being played.

The invention consists of an amplifier or mega phonic device and a holder or retainer applied to the device which is adapted for correlating a harmonica with said device for the stated purpose.

The device may be used with chromatic and standard type harmonicas to increase the volume and quality of the musical sounds and is particularly useful for harmonica playing in large theatres and halls to magnify tones and effects so that soft and classical selections will be clearly audible.

In the drawing in which reference is made in the following specification Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an amplifier or megaphone constructed in accordance with the invention, with a harmonica in place;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the amplifier or megaphone, a portion of the amplifier or megaphone I being broken away;

Fig. 2a is an end View of the harmonica detached;

Fig. 3 is a section of the sound inlet end of the amplifier or megaphone and its holder and showing the harmonica in place.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be apparent that there is shown an amplifier or megaphone 10, which is of the usual funnel or conical formation and may be made of any suitable material, such as hard fibre. A holder 11 is attached to the sound inlet end of the megaphone 10 to hold a harmonia 12 of chromatic and standard type in place for the purposes mentioned. The holder 11 is designed so that the harmonica may be slid in place endwise therein from either end and so that it may be readily detached by sliding the same outwardly from either end of the holder.

The holder 11 is made preferably of a single piece of spring metal and is of channel construction. The holder 11 thus will consist of a web 13 and resilient flanges 14 joining the web 13. The flanges 14 are curved, as shown, to give a maximum resiliency. Each of the flanges 14 has a grooved marginal edge portion 15 extending throughout the length thereof. These grooved edge portions 15 are in the nature of clamping jaws to respectively engage the rearwardly diverging edge portions 16 on the top and bottom covers respectively of the harmonica 12. The web 13 is cut and the material thereof is bent to provide attaching portions 17, and, at the same time, to provide a sound passage 18 of elongated shape, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The portions 17 embrace the sound inlet end of the megaphone 10 and are secured thereto in any suitable manner, such as by the employment of rivets 19, to firmly secure the holder 11 in place. The sound inlet end of the megaphone 10 will conform in shape to the shape of the sound passage 18.

The harmonica 12 may be slid endwise in place in the holder 11 from either end, and will be retained in place by the engagement of the edge portions 15 of the holder with the edge portions 16, respectively, of the harmonica, with the back of the harmonica spaced from the inlet end of the megaphone 10, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The players hands may then be placed over the open ends of the holder 11 to close the same while holding the device. In this manner the player may conveniently play the harmonica with the result that the musical sounds issuing from the harmonica will be magnified in volume, and, at the same time, the quality of the sounds will be rich and full. The position of the players hands with respect to the holder 11 may be changed to vary the admission of air to the megaphone 10, so as to modulate the musical sounds and thus produce the desired variations in the tone and pitch and produce other desirable sound effects.

What I claim is:

1. A megaphone having a harmonica holder on the sound inlet end thereof, said holder having flanges which embrace said inlet end, means securing said flanges to said end, and said holder having resilient flanges to embrace the top and bottom respectively of a harmonica at the back to hold it in position to be played.

2. A device comprising a megaphonic element of conical formation, and a musical instrument holder for the sound inlet end of said element, said holder being constructed of a single piece of material providing a channel having a sound passage therein, means on the channel securing the holder to said element with the channel contiguous said inlet end and the sound passage in registry therewith, and means on the channel to detachably hold the musical instrument in place.

3. A device comprising a megaphonic element of conical formation, and a musical instrument holder for the sound inlet end of said element, said holder being constructed of a single piece of me.-

holder for the sound inlet end of said element, said holder being constructed of a single piece of material providing a channel having a sound passage therein, means on the channel securing the holder to said element with the channel contiguous said inlet end and the sound passage in registry therewith, and means on the channel to detachably hold the musical instrument in place withthe back thereof spaced from said inlet end.

LEIGH A. ELKINGTON. 

